Mike Pence courts the House Freedom Caucus – Washington Examiner

Vice President Mike Pence is becoming a fixture on Capitol Hill.

He was back Monday evening meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and hanging out in the GOP cloakroom during votes just like he was still a congressman from Indiana.

After catching up with colleagues old and new, Pence was set to dine with the House Freedom Caucus. The 30-some-odd group of conservative Republicans is an influential caucus within the House Republican Conference that when voting en bloc can be the difference between passage and defeat on the House floor.

After dinner he's scheduled to be on hand in the Senate in case there is a new Treasury secretary to swear in, according to a Pence aide.

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Earlier in the evening he met with three Cuban-American Republican members of Florida's delegation: Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.

The foursome talked national security, according to Diaz-Balart.

They most likely discussed Venezuela's new vice president, Tareck El Aissami, as shortly after their meeting Curbelo lauded the White House for sanctioning him, even though the Treasury Department has not formally announced the new sanctions.

The U.S. considers El Aissami a major international drug trafficker with ties to militant Middle Eastern groups.

"The rise to power of Tareck El Aissami has been an alarming development for anyone desiring a future of freedom, democracy, and dignity for the Venezuelan people," Curbelo stated.

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Mike Pence courts the House Freedom Caucus - Washington Examiner

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